Let’s stop classifying people
by Jordan Cooper
We have to stop classifying people just based on affluence, age, ancestral appearance, and attire. It is distorting our perspectives of what is deemed acceptable and fair in our daily lives.
It influences the way we treat people on a day to day basis with some things they can’t control and probably shouldn’t be judged by. Also, it confuses us because we try to have some harmony in the organizing of labels we place on people that deal with how old they are, how much they’re worth, what their skin color is, and the clothing they choose.
People aren’t defined by any of those things aside from using them for statistical research. We often use those things to decide if a person is a good person. Being a good person is based on your honesty, your heart, and your moral strength.
James Blake was a top ranked tennis pro in the world and went to Harvard University. The Unabomber went to Harvard University too and had considerable wealth. Kiawah Island resident, and grand slam tennis winner Roscoe Tanner has a long criminal rap sheet.
So, Officer Frascatore of the NYPD couldn’t know what to expect and didn’t know because James Blake was thought to have been a scurrying fugitive. The physical put down the officer placed on Blake was improper. Yet, it didn’t endanger Blake’s life like the chokehold that killed Eric Garner or the gunshots that killed Bernard Bailey. Both of those cops are free and one is still on the police force. Therefore, Frascatore will probably still have his job.
Frascatore’s arrest of James Blake was very similar to some seen on NYPD Blue or another crime drama. The officer assumed Blake was a fleeing suspect who may have been armed materially, armed thru martial arts, or may have been able to escape by foot. It’s extremely disappointing that Blake had to be planked on the ground as he was, but the police were trying to do their job. They apologized and he wasn’t injured.
Nothing was gravely dangerous in what the officer did, I believe it just terrified Blake to be handcuffed as it would be for anyone. Blake obeyed the officer. Blake complied with the cop. He respected authority and their duty to protect and serve. Now, James Blake can be a citizens’ ambassador for how to stay composed when dealing with law enforcement.
Jordan Cooper is a USC graduate who played football under Coach Steve Spurrier. He was the youngest African American to serve on a gubernatorial campaign staff at the age of 13 under then Congressman Bobby Jindal as his Co-Chair for Blacks for Jindal. He was the first African American to serve in the Gov. and Lt. Gov’s offices in S.C. as a Constituent Correspondent and Special Assistant respectively (Haley/Bauer). He was also the youngest to serve in on a GOP presidential campaign staff in America and youngest black Co-Chair of a Congressional campaign (Bauer for Congress 2012). More recently, he has been working with Jeb Bush’s youth outreach campaign and at their request has submitted several policy and speech ideas for Jeb Buish on various subjects. He recently served as an occasional campaign speechwriter for Jeb Bush and some of his material on tax policy was used.